How To Erase A Permanent Mistake: Part I

 It’s a common occurrence.  You’re in the middle of a meeting, about to deliver your million dollar idea, and suddenly your dry erase maker stops working. 

Your fears realized, you reach for the next marker in the tray, not recognizing that a colleague accidentally put a permanent marker in the tray. 

This million dollar idea is going to stick- as a permanent fixture on the whiteboard in your main meeting room. 

No need to panic or even call maintenance- use the following steps to get permanent ink off your dry erase board without using any harsh or abrasive chemicals, which can ruin the surface of your dry erase board.  It won’t even leave any smudges, streaks or ghosting! 

Items required:

1.     Wide tip dry erase marker
2.     Dry-erase eraser or tissue

The process is simple:  Take your wide-tip dry erase marker and write over the permanent ink.  It might be necessary to completely cover the area to ensure that all permanent ink is removed.  Take your eraser or tissue and remove the dry erase marker.  Repeat one more time if all the marker has not been removed, but in most cases, after 1 attempt the permanent ink will be gone!

Why does this work?

The solvents in a dry erase marker break down the permanent ink, allowing you to erase it without damaging the surface of the board.  Once you have removed the glossy finish, your dry erase board is ruined.

Have you already tried this step?  Move to Step II: Toothpaste.